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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. suit — clothes
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. tube — the underground
  7. suit — in cards
  8. foot — a measure
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — a signal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. suit — to fit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a ring
  18. tube — a container
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com